Windows provide access through walls for bringing sunlight into structures. Windows that open serve the additional function of providing ventilation to the structure. Windows are available in a large variety of sizes and styles to suit different applications, including fixed windows, casement windows, sash windows, bow windows, bay windows, and skylights. For a typical installation in a framed structure, such as a house, an opening is formed in the wall by leaving out or removing studs. The section of wall where the studs are removed is supported by installation of a header over the window to keep the top plate from sagging from the weight of the walls and roof above the window. Installing an additional window after a structure is completed requires major renovation to frame in the necessary support structure prior to installation of the window.
On top floors, especially where the ceiling is installed parallel to the rafters, such as a cathedral style ceiling, skylights may be installed in the roof structure to allow sunlight to enter the room. Skylights offer some advantages over wall mounted windows since they are mounted higher up in the room, providing a more direct path for the sun's light to enter the room. Some skylights or ceiling-mounted openings also provide for ventilation by opening to allow hot air from inside the room to escape to the outside of the structure.
On the lower stories of a multi-story dwelling, however, skylights are of no lighting benefit unless a light corridor is established to allow the light to pass through the floor of the upper story and through the ceiling of the lower story. This requires an opening in the ceiling of the lower story and corresponding loss of usable floor space in the upper story. Another option is to completely remove a portion of the ceiling on the first floor so the walls extend from the first floor all the way up to the ceiling of the second story. This results in a much more significant reduction of second story floor space and creates a loft effect for a portion of the second story. What is needed is a way to bring more sunlight into a lower story room without the complexity of light columns for skylights, the loss of floor space on the upper stories, or the need for complex framing changes.
Lumber used in the construction industry is commonly called by its rough cut dimensions prior to drying, planning, or treatment. The actual finished lumber size is smaller. For example, lumber typically referred to as “2×4” currently measure 1.5 inches thick×3.5 inches wide as purchased. Lumber is available in a variety of lengths, however references to lumber length is not relevant for this patent specification. For this patent specification, rough cut sizes will be used with the understanding by one skilled in the art that actual physical dimensions of the lumber will vary.
While ordinary frame construction typically uses lumber, newer building materials, often referred to as “engineered lumber”, are also employed in today's construction methods. Engineered lumber includes, but is not limited to, manufactured wood I-beams, finger-jointed lumber, manufactured trusses, glulams, and laminated veneer lumber. This specification shall refer to standard lumber, but is will be understood by one skilled in the art that alternate materials or construction methods that serve the same function are considered equivalents and within the scope of the invention.
In a typical house of ordinary frame construction, the walls are erected using plates and studs, typically of 2×4 or 2×6 lumber. A bottom plate of lumber is laid flat and is attached to the decking structure. Studs then extend vertically from the bottom plate to the top plate, which is typically constructed of two layers of lumber laid flat across the top of the studs and referred to as a double top plate. Single top plates may be found in older structures and are occasionally used today, but the double top plate is more common. The top and bottom plates are disposed along the perimeter of the structure, except where doors are to be installed, in which case the bottom plate is eliminated and the top place is reinforced by a lintel, typically referred to as a header. The studs are left out of the opening to permit the installation of the door. Where windows are to be installed, the window opening is typically framed using a header to support the top plate. A box is built from lumber of the correct size to permit installation of the window. The space above and below the box typically has short studs extending from the box frame to the lower plate or up to the header. These provide convenient nailing points for the interior and exterior wall surfaces.
When constructing the second story of the house, joists are set on edge so they rest on the upper surface of the top plate. Standard joists in a multistory house are 2×10 and 2×12 lumber however other sized may be employed and be within the scope of the invention. The joists are set at a standard spacing, typically sixteen inches center to center or twenty-four inches center to center. On the upper surface of the joists, decking is laid to form the base for the second story floor. On the underside of the joists, the first story ceiling is installed, typically drywall, sheetrock or other similar material. A dropped ceiling may also be installed using a lightweight frame hung from the joists, with tiles laid into the framework.
Joists are installed running around the entire perimeter of the top plate to form a box. On the walls parallel to the floor joists, additional joists may be added that rest completely on the top plate, with their outer surfaces being flush with the outside edge of the top plate and the studs. On the walls perpendicular to the direction of installation of the floor joist, joists called “rim joists” are installed with their inside flat surface abutting the ends of the floor joists and with their outside edge flush with the outer edge of the studs and top plate.
A typical basement wall is constructed from poured concrete, cast concrete panels, or cinder blocks. At the top of the basement wall, a sill plate is laid to form the basis for the framing above.